


Pokemon Balance: Bronze

by sanvitheartificer



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Art, Gen, IPRE are the gym leaders, Interactive Fiction, Nonverbal Character, Second Person, Worldbuilding, accessible fanwork, and some comics!, for that immersive pokemon experience, mavis is the player character and together we go through a homemade pokemon game arc, soft, with balance characters and locations
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-06-19
Packaged: 2019-10-13 16:57:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17491751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanvitheartificer/pseuds/sanvitheartificer
Summary: You are Mavis Roughridge, age 10, and you're just about to go on the adventure of a lifetime.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! So, this is a new one. I got inspired by this thread: https://jumpboy-rembrandt.tumblr.com/tagged/pokemon-au to make a TAZ/pokemon crossover comic/fanfic thing. 
> 
> My favorite thing about pokemon is the gentleness of the world while still having a fun plot and puzzles and, y'know, pokemon. So that's what this is about: giving me and you a chance to really go on that journey, and discover a world and whatever the heck those gym leaders have been up to ;) 
> 
> Practically, I have a few pages made already, so I'm going to start with weekly updates on Sundays. This fic isn't my priority, and I'm in my final semester of college, so I can't guarantee that that will last more than three weeks, but with any luck I'll keep posting more frequently than that! 
> 
> Comics are part of how I will tell this story, but I'll do image descriptions, so this work should be accessible. Tell me if I mess something up!

You wake up early. The sun is streaming through your window, and you watch the dust motes swirl over the pink carpet, grinning irrepressibly. Today's a big day, today's _pokemon_ day, and the excitement wells up and up and up, until you feel like you're full of bubbles, like you could levitate right through the door.

 

“Mavis! Mookie! Breakfast!”

 

The moment of peace breaks, and you rush out of bed, and get into your adventuring clothes in record time. You grab your backpack, already packed, and rocket down the stairs.

 

Mom made pancakes and sausages, your favorite, and she's already put the juice on the table.

 

“It's not faiiiir, Mavis gets to go see Daddy and I'm stuck here,” Mookie whines, rubbing his eyes sleepily as he stumbles into the room.

 

Even Mookie can't bring you down today. You grin at him and ruffle his hair, and Mom says, “Shush, Mookie, eat your breakfast. You can go visit Mavis and your father when she gets to Goldcliff.”

 

 _Goldcliff!_ You visit every few months, of course, but usually you take a boat to Neverwinter and then take the train, or ride on Mom's stoutland. This time, you'll go there _all on your own_!

 

You're so excited that you barely taste the pancakes.

 

“Don't choke,” Mom says, but she doesn't stop you from chugging your orange juice. Mookie, who's usually done and demanding seconds before you've finished a quarter of your meal, gapes at you.

 

“It's a good thing you finished so fast. If you don't head over to the professor's soon, she'll probably give away all of the pokemon,” says Mom.

 

You squint at her. She's lying, right? She _has_ to be lying, the Professor wouldn't do that, _would she_?

 

“Mom, would she really?” Mookie asks, and that does it. You give Mookie and Mom a hug and run out the door. You can't risk it. Today's too important!

 

“Good luck, sweetie!” calls Mom. “Remember, you'll send me messages every week!”

 

You give a thumbs up over your shoulder. You don't _see_ anyone near the Professor's dome, but the lights are on. If you sprint, you're _sure_ to get there before anyone else!

 

When you get to the door, though, you hesitate. The Professor doesn't really like anyone else wandering into her lab, but you have visited a few times, for school. You know what it looks like inside, but today it's different. Today she's going to give you a pokemon. This is the first day ever that you're going to be a trainer, and once you open this door, there's no going back.

 

But you don't hesitate for too long. Angus could already be in there!

 

You open the door, and walk in to the lab.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mavis talks to the Professor.

ID: A three-panel comic. The first panel is a close up of Lucretia, who is a thin black woman with short curly white hair, against a purple background. A text box reads, “Oh! You’re Merle’s daughter, aren’t you?”

The second panel is zoomed out, and shows Lucretia sitting on a wooden chair, wearing a blue robe. She is holding a staff with a pokeball on top. There is a potted plant, several bookshelves, and a window around her, as well as four unown hovering (the unown are the letters ”P”, “I”, “R”, and “E”). A text box reads, “What was your name again? You’ll have to forgive me, I’m afraid it’s been some time since Merle and I talked.”  
The third panel is somewhat zoomed. Lucretia is standing up, and the window is visible behind her. The dialogue reads, “Well, welcome to my lab, Mavis! I assume you’re here for your first pokemon?” /End ID

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided that I don't follow anything that updates on Saturdays, so I'm going to be the change I want to see in the world and update on Saturdays myself :) 
> 
> Also I'm hella impatient; that's also a factor here.
> 
> Tell me if the image ID shows up twice. There's a field for it when you submit an image, but I wasn't seeing it when I previewed, so I also put it underneath the image to make sure.
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks for liking this story! I hope you like this chapter too! The image quality is a little strange but that's alright; it'll get better as I get more experience!
> 
> EDIT: Some bugs with uploading images, since that's not something I've done before. Thanks to Rosco for pointing that out! It should show up now, but if there's still issues, please comment and I'll see what I can do :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mavis gets to pick a starter!

ID: A four-panel comic. The first panel is a triangle in the left top corner, with a text box that reads, “You're actually the first to arrive, so I suppose you get first pick!” Underneath the text box, there is a red cushion with three pokeballs resting on it; the cushion has gold braiding. The background of the panel is purple.

The second panel has a text box that reads, “Do you choose Piplup?”, with a picture of an enthusiastic-looking piplup, which is sitting down. The background is teal and blue.

The third panel has a text box that reads “Chimchar?” underneath a picture of a wary-looking chimchar that is crouching. The background is pink and red.

The fourth panel has a text box that reads “...or Turtwig?” underneath a picture of a somewhat nervous, but excited looking turtwig which is raising one leg. The background is yellow and green. /End ID

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well? Which do you choose?
> 
>  
> 
> This is where the 'interactive' comes in! You can vote for whichever pokemon you think Mavis should pick in the comment section. I can't moderate this, of course, but it would be cool if you chose based off what you think Mavis would pick in this moment, rather than which pokemon is your favorite or which is strategically 'the best'.
> 
> I'm not sure I'm going to nickname pokemon, but feel free to leave a nickname suggestion, too!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mavis has her first Pokemon battle!

 

“Mavis? Dang it, you got here first! You didn't take Piplup, did you?” said Angus, peering anxiously at you.

 

Grinning, you move aside to show him Turtwig walking behind you. You still can’t believe this is happening!

 

He smiles even wider than he does whenever a  _ Caleb Cleveland, Kid Coordinator! _ book comes out, and yells, “Wait here, okay?” as he rushes in to the lab.  

 

In the meantime, you look at the paper the Professor gave you. It has a cute little cartoon of a turtwig in the corner, and it says,

 

* * *

**_Turtwig and You: a New Trainer’s Guide_ **

**_Care_ **

Turtwigs love water! Young turtwigs should receive about a gallon of water a day: two quarts poured over their shell, especially in hot weather, and two to drink. As they grow, you can water them less frequently, but they will require more water. 

 

While turtwigs are able to receive some energy from sunlight, they require one hearty meal a day, too! Any grass/reptile mixes should work; most turtwigs aren’t picky eaters. Supplement with some berries, especially high-nitrogen Oran berries as a treat!

 

Turtwigs can go about a week without sunlight if they are well-fed, but they’ll be happier if they get at least four hours of direct sunlight every day. Keep your friend chipper!

 

Turtwigs love baths, and should be allowed to splash around in a large body of water at least once every two weeks. They can be scrubbed down with a rag or a soft-bristled brush and reptile-safe grass pokemon soap. 

 

If you are in a desert or a tundra for a long period of time, it’s recommended that you keep your turtwig in their pokeball. Their shells can crack if exposed to extreme temperatures. 

 

**_Battling_ **

This turtwig knows the moves  _ Withdraw _ and  _ Tackle _ . Check out the Move Dictionary for more information about these moves, and other moves Turtwig can learn.

 

It has the ability Overgrow, which increases the power of grass type moves when turtwig is injured.

 

Don’t train your pokemon for more than two hours a day, and make sure you’re paying attention to their expressions! Just because they don’t talk in words doesn’t mean pokemon can’t communicate.

 

Turtwigs are heavy and slow, but very sturdy. They are loyal pokemon. 

 

**_Other Info_ **

This turtwig is male, and three months old. Feel free to give him a nickname!

 

Most importantly, take care of and get to know your turtwig. Pokemon are our lifelong companions, and it’s your responsibility to make sure your friend stays happy and healthy. 

 

If you have any concerns or questions, the Professor can be reached at 748-388-1919.

* * *

  
  


Angus walks out of the building just a second after you finish reading the guide, cradling the excited-looking piplup and holding a sheet of paper in the other hand. “Do you want to battle, Mavis?” 

 

Woah, your first battle! You nod, and crouch down to look Turtwig in the eye, their head tilted to look back at you. The Professor knows sign language, so you hope Turtwig has picked up at least a little. 

 

“ _ Use Withdraw until Piplup gets close, and then hit him. You’re sturdier. _ ” You sign.

 

Turtwig looks a little confused, so you sigh and mime it out as best you can. They nod slowly. 

 

“Ready?” Angus says. 

 

You nod. 

 

Piplup growls, but Turtwig doesn’t seem to notice, Withdrawing like you said. You grin. Go, Turtwig! 

 

The first couple of minutes are tense. Piplup keeps puffing himself up, growling, and Turtwig is keeping an eye on Piplup but mostly using Withdraw. You’re clenching your fists, heart beating fast. This is it, this is your very first battle!

 

“Okay,  _ now _ , Caleb!”  

 

Of course Angus would name him Caleb, you have time to think, before Piplup runs forward and throws himself at Turtwig. Turtwig is rocked back a bit, but stays steady enough and Tackles Caleb before he can really recover. 

 

“Now use Growl!” Angus yells, and you can see Turtwig half-turn towards you, wincing at the terrible noise Caleb is making. 

 

You motion forward, and Turtwig tackles Caleb again, and then Angus is yelling, “Now use Pound!” and Caleb hits Turtwig but Turtwig pushes through it, and tackles, and again, and again! 

 

It can’t be more than a few minutes but the moment stretches out and then, somehow, Piplup flops to the floor, dazed. You motion Turtwig to stop attacking, and they do. 

 

Angus looks a little disappointed, but he walks over to you and hands you a few GP. “Here, my grandpa gave me a little spending money, but it’s only fair. But I’ll beat you next time, Mavis Roughridge! I’m gonna learn everything about pokemon and become the best pokemon trainer ever!” 

 

You smile, and wave at him as he walks off. You’re glad to be going on this adventure with someone like Angus, even if you’re not traveling together. It’s good to have friends. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thanks so much for commenting, and for being patient! Fight scenes, even really simple ones like this, are always kind of intimidating for me. But the next chapter is ready to post, and I think the chapter after that should be pretty fun!
> 
> jumpboy-rembrandt is helping to write this, but she doesn't have an ao3, so check out her tumblr! It's really good!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mavis leaves home and gets a map.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of the content I have written/drawn out. I'll try my best, but college is A Lot right now, and art especially is... hard. I know what's coming next, but it may be a while before I can post it.

 

 

You walk back towards home, feeling triumphant, but a little sheepish, too. You didn't really say goodbye, and in the rush to get out of the door, you think you forgot your toothbrush.

 

When you get back, Mom is waiting at the door. She smiles and hands you your toothbrush, and suddenly you feel scared and sad and excited all at once. This is it. You’re really leaving.

 

“Remember what I taught you, and don’t listen to your father, and you should be okay,” says Mom. “You’re a good girl, Mavey. You know what you’re about. Rely on your pokemon and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Go to the gym leaders, if you have a problem. They’re good folk.” She leans down, and peers into your eyes.

 

“I love you, Mavis, and I’m so, so proud of you.”

 

She wraps you in a hug, and Mookie hugs you too, and you stay there and you cry for a long minute, and Mookie’s crying too, _of course_ , but you don’t even mind.

 

“I know you’ve got your poketech, with all the fancy climate apps and humidity overlays, but take this map, too.” Mom handed you a rolled up paper tube. “It’s good to have a place to write down the things you discover along the way.”

 

 

Image description: A square map of a continent. The continent is shaped roughly like a mouth, opening from the top left corner.  
Bottlenose Cove is near the bottom, next to a cove. Route 1 leads up to Phandolin, through the Little Bear Woods and over a river. To the right of Phandolin, there is Wave Echo Cave, but no route is labeled. Wave Echo Cave is next to the ocean, and to the right of it is Moon Island.   
There are two routes out of Phandolin. One, route 2, leads to Neverwinter. Along this route is Mount Tesseralia. The other, route 3, leads to Rockport. This route is grassy. Rockport and Neverwinter are connected by train.   
Rockport is connected to Goldcliff by mountainous route 4. Along this route, there is Rockseeker Pass. Neverwinter is also connected to Goldcliff by both a train route and route 5, which is mountainous.   
Past Goldcliff, there is route 6, which has two lines. This is a grassy route that leads to Stillwater. The town of Stillwater is connected to the town of Glamour Springs by Tourmaline Cave, which is also labeled route 7.   
Glamour Springs is connected to Refuge by a very long route 8, which goes through the Woven Gulch Desert. Then, route 9 goes to Raven's Roost. Routes 8 and 9 arc around the Safari Zone.   
Raven's Roost is connected to the town of Wonderglen by a very long route 10, which goes through the Felicity Wilds. There is a very short route 11 to Felicity Falls.  
Finally, there is one more route out of Neverwinter: a very long route 12, which leads to Celestial City.   
End image description.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another voting opportunity: I've devised a complicated system for pokemon encounters/catches, but I want to give y'all some control over that, so basically whichever two pokemon receive the most votes will have advantage -- Mavis will be more likely to encounter them, and more likely to catch them if she encounters them. 
> 
>  
> 
> Here is the list of pokemon that exist along route one: lillipup, ledyba, sentret, hoothoot, teddiursa. 
> 
> Please pick the two pokemon you'd most like to see her catch! 
> 
> (If you're curious about the mechanics I'd love to explain them! They're fairly simple but I think pretty ingenious.)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mavis walks into the woods, runs into an aide, and catches her first pokemon.

ID: A painting of a path leading into a sun-dappled forest. The forest has short, light green vegetation, and the trees are pines. The path is a light brown dirt path, with some rocks and sticks. There is a lillipup sleeping next to the path. There are also two ledyba in the background. /End ID

 

You’ve walked into the Little Bear Woods many times before, but this is the first time without Mookie yelling or running away, or Mom carrying your lunchbox. And this is the first time with Turtwig walking loyally behind you. 

 

You stop, right next to the sign that reads “Welcome to the Little Bear Woods!”. There’s a Lillipup napping in a sunbeam, and the light is bright on the huckleberries. Route One isn’t  _ really  _ dangerous, but Mom always forbid you to pass the sign alone, anyway. 

 

Turtwig makes a noise, which sounds like “Twiiii?” and you turn and smile at him. “ _ Let’s go!” _ you sign, and together you walk past the sign.

 

You get into a rhythm of walking, and you almost don’t notice the guy standing in the middle of the path till you’re really close to him.

 

ID: A digital painting of a path leading into a sun-dappled forest. The path is a light brown dirt path. There is a swablu perched on a tree and a sentret hiding in the vegetation.

Johann, a chubby black man with tightly curled black hair cut into a bob, is standing by a large pine tree. His pose and expression is reminiscent of Hamlet monologuing to Yorick’s skull, except he’s tossing a pokeball instead of holding up a skull. He is wearing a silly hat with an Altaria feather held in place by a green button, shiny green and white shoes that look fancy but also wouldn’t look out of place in a bowling alley, and a fancy lavender outfit with poofy, striped shorts and a blue bowtie. 

There are bushes around the trees on the far side of Johann, and there are grasses around the closer tree. The same kind of short, puffy vegetation that was in the earlier picture covers the foreground. 

/End ID   
  


You eye the person warily. He’s wearing really odd clothing, and is humming something while tossing a pokeball up and down. 

 

“Oh, hey, kid,” the man says, straightening up. “Uh, you’re Mavis, right?” 

 

You nod. 

 

“Right, the -- the Professor told me to give you this?” He leans over and roots around in the bag at his feet. 

 

_ “Who are you _ ?” You sign, once he’s looked up again. 

 

“I’m Johann. One of the Professor’s aides. Usually I help the professor with the Unown, but Avi’s on vacation, so. Um, here.” 

 

He hands you a circular metal bracer. You run your hands over it. There’s an engraving on it, like a square with six triangles circling a diamond. You notice Johann is wearing one, too. 

 

_ “What does it do?” _ You sign. 

 

“It detects dimensional energy and attracts pokemon to you. Like, Sweet Scent, kind of? If you wear it, you’re more likely to have encounters, and sometimes pokemon are friendlier, too. It’s awful when you’re trying to get somewhere, but I guess it’s mostly nice. ‘Specially for a kid like you. Just be careful; it’s kind of hard to get off.”

 

You examine it closer. It’s thicker than just a normal bracelet would be, but it doesn’t seem any heavier. “ _ Dimensional energy?” _

  
Johann frowns. “Sorry, I don’t know that sign. Uh, if you’re okay, kid, I gotta go? There’s one other kid getting their Pokemon today and the Professor’s having me hand-deliver theirs.”

 

You nod, and slip on the bracer. You’ll ask the Professor later. 

 

~*~*~   
  
You stop for lunch a few minutes later; talking with Johann made you realize how long you’ve been walking. You feed Turtwig some of the special mix the Professor gave you and eat a tuna sandwich, which is your favorite.

 

You’re just packing everything away again when you look over your shoulder and a flash of brown catches your eye. 

  
Woah, that’s a Hoothoot! You’ve never seen one this early in the day -- there was that one time Dad got lost in the woods and there were Hoothoots  _ everywhere _ , but that was evening. Guess the bracer really does attract pokemon. 

 

The Hoothoot flutters to the ground, and you swallow. It wants to be caught! You could really catch your first pokemon! 

 

You crouch, and sign at Turtwig, “ _ Just keep tackling it, okay? _ ” 

 

Turtwig says, “Twiii!”, which you think means  _ yes _ , and tackles it. It ruffles its feathers, looking annoyed but not flying off just yet. It  _ stares  _ at Turtwig, and he tackles again, and then the Hoothoot growls, and Turtwig tackles  _ again _ , and now the Hoothoot runs forward in a tackle of its own. 

 

Turtwig looks at you. He’s obviously not hurt, but this feels like the moment. You heft the ball in your hand. It’s light, but also kind of heavy. You’ve practiced throwing balls before, and sometimes Mom lets you throw Stoutland’s ball, but this is different. It’s shiny, and new, and  _ empty _ , and you bought it with your own allowance. 

 

The Hoothoot growls again. Okay, okay,  _ now! _

 

The Hoothoot goes into the ball, and you hold your breath. It rocks once. Twice.  _ Three times  _ \-- 

 

_ You caught your first pokemon!  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm not dead, after all! 
> 
> anyway i hope you enjoy this chapter. I figured some cool things out about the endgame!!! and in the meantime, pretty forests! 
> 
> (the pictures, btw, are painted over photos I took myself. They're kind of half-painted; some of the background photo is visible but I made them cooler and also added some things. It took forever and there's probably a better way to do it but i'm unspeakably proud of them!)

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to contact me on tumblr if you'd like to chat about this fic!
> 
> https://windywords123.tumblr.com/


End file.
